Knitted article of apparel and fabric therefor



N. LEVIN Sept. 18, 1945.

Filed Aug. 31, 1944 m m m m Patented Sept. 18, 1945 KNITTED ARTIGLE FAPPAREL AND FABRIC THEREFOR Nathan Levin, Trenton, N. J.

Application August 31, 1944, Serial No. 552,073

7 Claims.

This invention "relates to articles of apparel of the type subject to alengthwise pull or strain therein in use such as suspenders, belts andthe like which includes as an integral part thereof one or more separatelengths of tubular knitted fabric each of which has means tosubstantially limit the walewise lengthening and the coursewisecontraction thereof under the walewise extending tension induced by thesaid strain or pull. The invention also relates to tubular knittedfabric having means to substantially limit the walewise lengthening andthe coursewise contraction thereof under walewise extending tension,said fabricbeing adapted for articles of apparel of the type subject toa lengthwise strain or pull therein in use such as suspenders, belts andthe like.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tu-,

bular knit fabric with means to substantially limit the walewiselengthening and the coursewise contraction thereof under walewiseextending ten sion, said means comprising a plurality of walewiseextending wrap threads incorporated in the fabric, the said fabric beingadapted for articles of apparel of the type above described, In one formof the invention, the incorporated wrap threads form ornamentation onthe face of the fabric by knitted plated designs and in another form thewrap threads are incorporated unknit in the body of the fabric.

It is a further object of the present invention to manufacture articlesof apparel of the type subject to a lengthwise strain or pull therein inthe use thereof such as suspenders, belts and the like which includes incombination as an integral part thereof one or more separate lengths ofthe'tubular knit fabric above described.

Figure 1 is a view of a pair of suspenders made from the novel fabric,

Figure 2 is a view of a belt made from e1 fabric,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view'of a tubular sectionof the novel fabric,

Figure 4 is a stitch diagram of the novel fabric,

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic View of a tubular section of a modified formof the novel fabric and Figure 6 is a stitch diagram of the modifiedform of the novel fabric. g

In the drawing two articles of wearing apparel are shown, the suspenders8, and the belt "I. The body of each of these two articles is made oftwo and of one separate lengths respectively of tubular knitted fabrichaving the walewise extending stripes II on one face thereof forsubstantially its full length as shown-and while the the novoppositeface [2 of these separate lengths of tubular fabric could likewise beornamented with walewise extending stripes, it is preferred that thereverse side l2 be not so ornamented. A small section of the noveltubular fabric and representative thereof is shown in Figure 4 in whichthe plain or jersey stitches are made of the body yarn I3 and in the twowales and in the courses shown, the walewise extending wrap threads l4and I5 are shown plated over all of the stitches of the yarn l3 for thefull length of the fabric section illustrated; It will be obvious thatthe stitch construction of all of the tubular fabric and consequently ofeach length thereof is like that shown in Figure 4 since the latter is arepresentative section which may have been taken anywhere in the fabric.Accordingly the wrap threads l4 and I5 extend for substantially the fulllength of each length of the fabric since the walewise extending stripesI I, which are shown as extending for substantially the full length ofeach length of the fabric, are formed thereof. It will also be ob viousthat the invent on is not limited to plain knit fabric but is applicableto other types of tubular knit fabric as well, so long as the walewiseextending wrap threads are incorporated in the outside plain wales ofsuch other types of fabric. It is to be noted that the yarns l4 and I5are of different colors and "in each of the other wales of the fabric onthe face thereof, yarns of other or of the same color may be used. Thecolor of each of the wrap threads for each of the face wales of thetubular fabric, of which threads I4 and I5 are examples may vary ac- 1'cording to the will of the designer and the designs H will varyaccordingly.

Turning now to Figure 3. which is a diagrammatic view of a tubularsection of the fabric, the short single lines l6, l6 each representsingle unplated stitches of the rear of the fabric and the short doublelines I1, I! each represent single plated stitches of the front of thefabric. It "will be seen that all of the stitches, and the wales, of thefront of the fabric are plated with the walewise extending wrap threadsand that all of the stitches, and the wales, of the rear of thef-abricare not plated. A plated stitch takes up more room than an unplatedstitch and accordingly. where adjacent wales are plated, to platehalf ofthe tubular fabric so far as circumferential dis tance is concerned, itis necessary to plate less than half of the total number of stitches.

For instance, if the needle cylinder has fifty needles, as in Figure 3,due to thefact that plated stitches are wider, it is necessary to plateonly twenty-two stitches I1, I! and leave twenty-eight stitches l6, I6'unplated in order that the front half of the fabric will be plated andwill be equal in size to the rear half of the fabric. The addition ofthe wrap threads to substantially all of the wales of the front of thefabric will limit the'stretch of the fabric walewise and will alsoprovide a pleasing design therefor, this is specially desirable in thosearticles of manufacture, whether apparel or otherwise, in which alengthwise pull or strain is exerted thereon during the use thereof. Itwill be obvious from an inspection of the draw. ing that each of theseparate lengths of tubular fabric shown in the belt and in thesuspenders is flattened and is secured, at each end thereof,- to

other parts of the belt and to other parts of .the.

suspenders, thus becoming an integral part there of. It will also beobvioustha t the lengthwise strain or pull normally present in thesearticles,

of apparel in use causes each length of the tubular fabric including thewrap threads-to be under walewise tension for substantially the lengththereof which extends between the said other parts of the belt and thesuspenders and to which the lengths of tubular fabric are secured. Itwill be obvious that the stretch of thefabric could be still furtherlimited by the use of wrap threads on all of the wales thereof,both-front and back, but for most purposes it is sufficient if substamtia'lly half of the wales are wrapped, and .if this half is the front ofthe fabric, the wrap threads also provide an ornamental design. It ispreferred that the wrap threads be on adjacent wales as this aids inlimiting the stretch for then the wales, which are widened due to theplating thereon, cannot crowd too close together and excessively reducethe width of the tubular fabric. It will be obvious that the resistanceof the tubular fabric to walewise lengthening and coursewise contractionwill vary in accordance with the number of wrap threads present in thefabric, the more wrap threads the greater the resistance and vice versa.

A modification is shown in Figures and 6, in the former which showsadiagrammatic cross section'of the fabric, the stitches in the rear ofthe fabric are represented by the double short lines 2!,2-1 while thestitches of the front of the fabric are represented by the single shortlines 2-2, 22 and by the double short lines 23, 23. The stitches 2!, 2i.and all the wales of the rear of the fabric, each have individual wrapyarns, as shown in Figure 6, but these wrap yarns i9 and 2-0, are notplated on the fabric of yarnJB, but are tied in unknit in each stitch ofthe fabric comprising the rear of the fabric. The stitches 21, -24 ofFigure5 differ from the stitches 11 of Figure 3 in that in the latterthe wrap yarns are plated on the stitches pf the front of the fabric tomake the stripes l l and to iii-nit the stretch of the fabric whereas inthe-former the wrap yarns are tied in unk-nit in the stitches of therear of the fabric to limit the stretch thereof. The tied in link-nitwrap yarns are barely visible from the front of the stitches and may beof the same color as the body y-arn. To ornament the front of the fabricof Figure 5, if that is described, walew-ise extending thread platedstitches 23, 23 may be placed wherever desired. The plated stitches 23,23 are'li k-e the plated stitches H, H in stitch construction.

While the plated stitches in each Wale have been described as forming?ve-rtica llyextending :lines, it will be obvious that the plateddesi'gnneed not be'so limited as in thercase where the wrap yarns selectivelyknit and float in each wale, according to plan, in order to provide acomposite design extending over the face of the fabric.

The tubular fabric herein described may be of any diameter butpreferably the fabric is of the small diameter normally used in thepresent manufacture of such articles of apparel as belts, neckties,suspenders and the like wherein it is desirable that a means of limitingthe stretch of the fabric, which otherwise becomes permanently longerand narrower in use, be provided. In the ,present invention the walewiseextending wrap threads which are provided to limit the stretch Y of thetubular fabric also provide a very desirable means of ornamentation.

I claim: 1'. An article of apparel of the type subject to lengthwisestrain in use such as suspenders, belts andthe like, which includes asan integral part thereof one or more separate lengths of tubular knittedfabric each of which has a plurality of walewise extending wrap threadsincorporated therein for substantially the full length thereof, each ofsaid lengths of tubular fabric-including the said wrapthreads beingunder walewise tension substantially throughout the full length thereofduring the wearing of the article, the walewise lengthening and thecoursewise contraction under the said tension being limited by the saidwrap threads. 1

2. An article of apparel of the type subject to lengthwise strain in usesuch as suspenders, belts and the like, which includes as an integralpart thereof one or more separate lengths of tubular knitted fabric eachof which has a plurality of walewise extending wrap threads incorporatedtherein for substantially the full length thereof, each of said lengthsof tubular fabric being secured at each end thereof to other portions ofthe article in such manner that the fabric including the wrap threads isunder walewise tension substantially throughout the full length thereofduring the wearing of the article, the walewise lengthening and thecoursewis-e contract-ion under the said tension being limited by thesaid wrap threads.

3. An article of apparel of the type subject to lengthwise strain in usesuch as suspenders. belts and the like, which includes as an integralpart thereof one or more separate lengths of tubular knitted fabric eachof which has a plurality of walewise extending wrap threads incorporatedtherein for substantially the full length thereof, the wrap threadsornamenting the fabric by plating, each of said lengths of tubularfabric inch-1ding'thesaid wrap threads being under walewise tensionsubstantially throughout the-full length thereof during the wearingof'theartic-le, the walewise lengthening and the coursewise-contractionunder the "said tension being limited by the said wrap threads.

4. An article of apparel of the type subiect to lengthwise strain in usesuch as suspenders. belts and the like, which includes as an integralpart thereof one or more separate lengths of flattened tubular knittedfabric each of which has a plural ity of walewiseextending wrap threadsindividual to the wales and plated thereon in the wales and courses ofat least one face of the fabric for substantially the full lengththereof, eachrof said lengths of tubular fabric including the wrapthreads being under walewise tension-substam tially throughout the fulllength thereof during the wearing of the article, the walewiselengthening and the coursewise contraction under the said tension beinglimited by the said wrap threads.

ticle in such manner that each length of the fabric including the wrapthreads is under walewise tension substantially throughout the fulllength thereof during the wearing of the article, the walewiselengthening and the coursewise contraction under the said tension beinglimited by the said wrap threads.

6. An article of apparel of the type subject to lengthwise strain in usesuch as suspenders, belts and the like, which includes as an integralpart thereof one or more separate lengths of flattened tubular knittedfabric each of which has a plurality of walewise extending wrap threadsindividual to the wales and plated thereon in substantially all of thewales and all of the courses comprising one face of the fabric forsubstantially the full length thereof, the said face of the fabrichaving a lesser number of wales than the opposite face thereof, each ofsaid lengths of tubular fabric including the wrap threads being underwalewise tension substantially throughout the full length thereof duringthe wearing of the article, the walewise lengthening and the coursewisecontraction under the said tension being limited by the said wrapthreads.

'1. An article of apparel of the type subject to lengthwise strain inuse such as suspenders, belts and the like, which includes as anintegral part thereof one or more separate lengths of flattened tubularknitted fabric each of which has a plurality of walewise extending wrapthreads individual to the wales for substantially the full lengththereof, certain of the wrap threads bein incorporated unknit insubstantially all of the wales and all of the courses comprising oneface of the fabric for substantially the full length thereof, other ofthe wrap threads ornamenting the opposite face of the fabric by plating,each of said lengths of tubular fabric including the wrap threads beingunder walewise tension substantially throughout the full length thereofduring the wearing of the article, the walewise lengthening and thecoursewise contraction under the said tension being limited by the saidwrap threads.

NATHAN LEVIN.

